Living with heart disease and angina

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a narrowing of the small blood

vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. Angina is chest
pain or discomfort that most often occurs when you do certain
activities or feel stressed. This article discusses what you can do to
manage chest pain and reduce your risks from heart disease.

Heart Disease and Angina

CHD is a narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood
and oxygen to the heart.

Angina is chest pain or discomfort that most often occurs when you
do certain activities or feel stressed. It is caused by poor blood flow
through the blood vessels of the heart muscle.

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol, your

health care provider may advise you to:

 Keep your blood pressure controlled most often to 130/80. Lower

may be better if you have diabetes, kidney disease, stroke, or heart
problems, but your provider will give you your specific targets.
 Take medicines to reduce your cholesterol.
 Keep your HbA1c and blood sugar at recommended levels.
 Living a Healthy Lifestyle
Some controllable risk factors for heart disease are:

 Drinking alcohol. If you drink, limit yourself to no more than 1 drink

a day for women, or 2 a day for men.
 Emotional health. Get checked and treated for depression, if
needed.
 Exercise. Get plenty of aerobic exercise, such as walking,
swimming, or bicycling, at least 40 minutes a day, at least 3 to 4
days a week.
 Smoking. DO NOT smoke or use tobacco.
 Stress. Avoid or reduce stress as much as you can.
 Weight. Maintain a healthy weight. Strive for a body mass index
(BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9 and a waist smaller than 35 inches
(90 centimeters).
Eating a Healthy Diet
Good nutrition is important for your heart health. Healthy eating
habits will help you control some of your risk factors for heart
disease.

 Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

 Choose lean proteins, such as skinless chicken, fish, and beans.
 Eat non-fat or low-fat dairy products, such as skim milk and low-fat
yogurt.
 Avoid foods that contain high levels of sodium (salt).
 Read food labels. Avoid foods that contain saturated fat and
partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated fats. These are unhealthy
fats that are often found in fried foods, processed foods, and baked
goods.
 Eat fewer foods that contain cheese, cream, or eggs.
 Taking Your Medicines
Your provider may prescribe medicine to treat CHD, high blood
pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol levels. These may include:

 ACE inhibitors
 Beta-blockers
 Calcium channel blockers
 Diuretics (water pills)
 Statins to lower cholesterol
 Nitroglycerin pills or spray to prevent or stop an angina attack
To reduce the risk of a heart attack, you may also be told to
take aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), ticagrelor (Brilinta) or prasugrel
(Effient) every day. Follow your provider's directions carefully to
keep heart disease and angina from getting worse.
Always talk to your provider before you stop taking any of your
medicines. Stopping these drugs suddenly or changing your dose
can make your angina worse or cause a heart attack.
 A Plan to Manage Angina
Create a plan with your provider for managing your angina. Your
plan should include:
 What activities are OK for you to do, and which ones are not
 What medicines you should take when you have angina
 What are the signs that your angina is getting worse
 When you should call your provider or 9-1-1
Know what can make your angina worse, and try to avoid these
things. For example, some people find that cold weather,
exercising, eating large meals, or getting upset or stressed worsens
their angina.

Alternative Names
Coronary artery disease - living with; CAD - living with; Chest pain -
living with